1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of personal consumer electronics. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable a device that is external to a Smartphone which provides a simplified, extended-battery-life, and expanded-screen display of Smartphone-accessible e-books, documents, and other text attached to the Smartphone via a wireless, such as BLUETOOTH®, or optional wired, such as micro-USB, connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current electronic book and other-document readers are designed primarily as standalone devices. Such devices necessarily include hardware and software that enables functions such as searching, purchasing, document selection, etc.
In most if not all cases, these features require either a physical keyboard increasing cost while decreasing available screen space proportionate to total device size or a partially or fully touch-sensitive screen materially increasing device cost. Either of these approaches increases manufacturing and consequent consumer cost.
Further, these devices typically search for and receive readable content via either wireless-Internet or wireless telephony e.g., 3G/4G connections, which require both costly and potentially physically bulky hardware and corresponding high-energy use which lowers battery life.
Further, these devices typically require that the user choose whether to buy readable content for use on devices supporting an illuminated-type or on devices supporting an electronic-ink-type screen, where each screen type has it advantages and disadvantages. Purchased readable content is generally difficult to transfer between such device types without repurchase.
For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a remote viewing apparatus for Smartphone.